In the past, buildings have been typically constructed of wood. For example, wall structures were constructed with wooden studs, wooden sill and plate components as well as wooden headers. In recent years, more and more components of buildings have been constructed of metal. In particular, there is extensive use of metal studs today, especially in commercial buildings that include multi-floors. There are many advantages to metal studs as they are stronger and not subject to damage by pests such as termites, and are resistant to fire as well as being reasonably economical.
In certain instances, the metal studs in a building require a backing structure to extend between the studs to provide structural support for structures that are secured or hung to a wall. For example, structure backings should be provided between consecutive studs to provide structural stability for the installation of hand rails and cabinets.
Backing devices to support hand rails, cabinets, etc. are known. However, in general, backing devices of the prior art have not been convenient to install, but rather, are typically time consuming and even difficult to install properly. In addition, some backing devices used in wall structures do not lend themselves to being properly integrated into the wall structure, and more particularly, properly coupled to the spaced apart studs disposed in the wall structure. When backing devices are not securely coupled to the studs, there is likelihood, or at least a concern, that they will fail to transfer the vertical loads of objects, such as cabinets, to the studs in the wall.
Therefore, there has been and continues to be a need for a practical, cost effective backing device or backing support that can be easily and conveniently installed in a wall structure, and which effectively transfers loads from hand rails, cabinets and other objects to the studs within the wall structure.